As we tick away to the new year of 2022, let's take alook back at the DVDs of Thomas & Friends.
But first:
But first:
THESE ARE SOLEY MY OPINIONS AND NOT INFLUENED FROM THE THOMAS & FRIENDS FANBASE
THE FINAL RETROSPECTIVE OF
THOMAS & FRIENDS DVDS - 2021
THE SUPER ENGINE
Review Date: 16/03/21
Score: 4/10
I still think there are some hit and miss episodes in this DVD, 'James the Super Engine' is still a nice episode but although S24, in my opinion, was the best of the BWBA series I think that episode just really didn't feel like a James episode. I think it would make more sense to make it a Percy episode given his persona whereas James would be more haughty and up himself trying to be a hero so he can have some attention. 'Ace's Brave Jump' is something I still hate due to him being chummy with Thomas despite the latter being more cross at him at the end of the movie. Yeah still not a great DVD but more on average scale.
ANIMAL ADVENTURES
Review Date: 8/06/21
Score: 6/10
This DVD was a bit more better than 'Super Engine'. Not just because of 'The Great Little Railway Show', although that was a good episode. But their were good episodes on this release, yes Nia's episode about her and the elephant. I still love 'Thomas' Animal Friends' and I feel it was a nice metaphor for people, like myself, who enjoy BWBA. Thomas found something fun but the others made him look ridiculous due to their comments but the episode's moral is that you shouldn't listen what others are saying. If you enjoy it just enjoy and that would go for people who'd also enjoyed 'All Engines Go!' I hate it but I would never want to harass anyone who does as they see things differently subjectivley. If you do, those three words at the end of harass says something about you.
A DAY ON AWDRY'S RAILWAY
Score: 10/10
Out of all the DVDs release this year, this one has to be the best one. It was a simple DVD presenting the timetable sequences of the Rev.W.Awdry's Ffarquhar layout that the Talyllyn Railway had preserved at the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum. The camera work was great and it was lovely to hear the Rev.W.Awdry presenting the whole thing, with the addition of two other people, through rare archival audio recordings.
OVERALL
And so that's it an end of an era now that the show had been rebooted into something generic and soulless. I understand that back in September, Mattel had announced that 'All Engines Go!' will be getting DVD releases, which started this month over in the US. Of course I won't be reviewing these nor will I even buy them. I'm sure Mattel aren't quivering in their boots when I say that since I'm just part of a tiny percentage compare to their bigger audience, although I doubt some of their general audience will like the reboot.
But it just makes me sad that since 2017 their hadn't been a DVD release for the US audience of the episodes from S21-24 and they were only exclusive to Nickelodeon and now Netflix. The only DVD that they'd released duing the BWBA era was the BWBA movie in 2019 and before and during that the only DVD releases that Paramount and Mattel gave were DVD compilations of movies and past episodic releases because they have a backlog of DVDs in the back even those some where model era episodes, which isn't bad BTW, but I thought Mattel's audience was more into the new stuff?
I understand that more people have a Netflix account but what had stopped Mattel for releasing the latter part of the CGI series after they'd scrapped their stupid deal with Nickelodeon? It's just sad because the people who don't have a Netflix account or access to Nickelodeon had missed out on recent episodes and would have to look through YouTube to find the latest, sure you have S21-24 on the official YouTube channel but they have trimmed them down to make them abridged and have a lack of context that it doesn't hold the same experience as watching the episode in full.
Sure there are full length episodes on YouTube but you then have YouTube's awful and highly flawed copyright bots blocking the video in certain countries because a particular company 'owns' them and I know that was towards the latter part of the CGI era, it happened to some episodes being blocked because they were 'owned' by the ABC in Australia, despite that they only broadcast the show.
If only Mattel had given the non-Netflix and Nickelodeon customers access as well instead of focusing on people who do have more. I may not be fond of her nowadays based on the things she had done in the past like suing the Talyllyn Railway over the Skarloey engines, threatening to sue the Bluebell Railway over Stepney, suing David Mitton over TUGS because of the faces being similar to Thomas, for some reason and Magic Railroad. But as Britt Allcroft said back in 2015, these words still ring true:
"I didn't want families to need a lot of money to have to access Thomas, and it's something that me and my daughter talk a lot about with Mumfie, that just came back on. Well, you can get it on Amazon Prime or Netflix, but what about the children who have very little? How do they get to see it?" - Britt Allcroft (2015)
If anyone from Mattel are reading this, if you're releasing AEG on DVD since you're really that confident that people would love it, how about be fair and release all of S21-24 as well for the parents and children who enjoy the CGI era considering that you are trying to balance the two worlds of Thomas out from this promo. It only seems fair considering that you are also releasing Wooden Railway again with the CGI designs while releasing AEG products as die-cast and Motorised.
So what of the blogsite? Now that I won't be reviewing anymore DVDs, although I did hear that 'The Thomas the Tank Engine Man' will have another DVD release, according to the director so maybe that might be on cards. Anyway despite that their wouldn't be any review on a potential series compilation DVD from the UK since I had already reviewed S17-21. Although I have high doubts that they would be released on that format.
I said this in my JBS review back in August, I might review the BWBA movie and see how well it lives up. But don't expect a post from me that much for a while but maybe I could do a review on some occassions. I don't really have a desire to review things such as books or toys and all though.
Well I hope everyone have had a good Christmas and I wish you all a safe and happy new year!
- NWR1991.
